Yankees’ Cashman was concerned with Girardi’s ‘connectivity’

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017, file photo, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, left, and general manager Joe Girardi chat on the field before the team's American League wild-card playoff baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, in New York. Cashman was concerned with Girardi’s “connectivity and communication level” with players in deciding to replace him as New York’s manager.
Cashman decided it was time for a “new voice” and a “fresh voice” in the job and said there may be a “shelf life” to a manager’s tenure with a team. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) — FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017, file photo, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, left, and general manager Joe Girardi chat on the field before the team's American League wild-card playoff baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, in New York. Cashman was concerned with Girardi’s “connectivity and communication level” with players in deciding to replace him as New York’s manager. Cashman decided it was time for a “new voice” and a “fresh voice” in the job and said there may be a “shelf life” to a manager’s tenure with a team. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017, file photo, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, left, and general manager Joe Girardi chat on the field before the team's American League wild-card playoff baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, in New York. Cashman was concerned with Girardi’s “connectivity and communication level” with players in deciding to replace him as New York’s manager. Cashman decided it was time for a “new voice” and a “fresh voice” in the job and said there may be a “shelf life” to a manager’s tenure with a team. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

By Associated Press November 6, 2017 3 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Yankees general manager Brian Cashman decided it “was time for a new voice and a fresh voice” in New York’s clubhouse after concluding Joe Girardi was not the right manager for a team that has reoriented toward youth.

New York announced Oct. 26 that Girardi would not be offered a new contract, ending a 10-year run that ended when the Yankees lost Game 7 of the AL Championship Series to Houston, the eventual World Series champion.

“The issue and the concerns were,” Cashman said, “ability to fully engage, communicate, connect with the playing personnel. And in saying that there might be a tough hurdle for someone that’s been in that particular position as a manager for 10 years.”

The GM said he doesn’t have a timetable for a decision on a replacement and plans to interview candidates from both inside and outside the organization.

Cashman said he informed owner Hal Steinbrenner of his Girardi analysis on Oct. 23, two days after New York’s season ended. Cashman met Girardi the next day.